Embodiment of Deceit
by Tarivoxic
Summary: Before he met the knight called Rath. Before he served the demons. Before his encounter with the alchemist known as Kharl...he was a normal man. This is his story.


Embodiment of Deceit

By Kurai-Hoshi

The sun crept across the sky towards the high peaks of the north. The air chilled and the winds stirred. Shadows elongated, stretching over and under one another like the most intricate tapestry. Hidden within the shadows at the foot of Mt. Emphaza, one of the taller mountains in this particular range stood a small lodge, a thin stream of smoke billowing from its chimney. Within the welcoming structure, behind a pane of glass stood a man staring out the window at the vast wilderness and mountains beyond. He looked to be a man in his twenties with deep purple eyes and matching hair. His skin was sun-browned and his arms folded over his chest were toned with muscle.

His eyes gazed out the window as if looking for something. The forests surrounding his quiet home had been nearly dead silent which was quite unusual for the woodland areas always seemed to be brimming with life. But for the past few days that calm had ceased replaced by a nervous silence as if the forest waited alongside the man for whatever waited out there out of sight.

"Brother, dinner's ready." The man turned to see the owner of the voice standing behind him. He looked a few years younger than the violet haired man. Maybe barely into his twenties. "Is something the matter Gil?"

The man called Gil returned his gaze to the window. "Nothing's wrong Barl," he responded to his younger brother…well, half brother to be exact. One could tell by looking at them that they were of the same family but the physical resemblances were few. Barl had much fairer skin than Gil and far lighter hair. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Alright, but hurry up before it gets cold." He walked back down the hallway the way he came leaving his older brother in the dark hallway staring blankly out the window…watching…waiting…

The silence of the forestland continued on to the next day as the two brothers worked outside in the fall sunshine. Gil stood at the chopping bock splitting the logs with his heavy axe while Barl placed new pieces on the block whenever Gil finished with a piece. After they finished they gathered the pieces of wood and carried them to the wood pile where they would dry out to later be used as fire wood in the upcoming winter months.

"That was a good day's haul, don't you think?" said Barl as he stretched his limbs. It was sometime around midmorning. The sun was climbing higher into the clear blue sky and the birds could be clearly seen overheard. As the nights grew colder there were less and less occupied nests. It was going to be a cold winter this year. Everyone could feel it was so, with the early turning of the leaves and the unexpected morning frost catching everyone by surprise. So the woodland animals started preparing for the winter months in their own way while the two siblings supplied their home for the cold that was to come.

"How would you know? I did most of the work. I swung the axe while you picked up the pieces of wood." He sat down and leaned against the large pile him and his brother had made. The two of them lived a ways from the nearest town; Yuba. They had both been the less than sociable type so when their parents had passed away they decided to leave their home and town, but not go too far, deciding at last to build the lodge several miles away at the foot of Mt. Emphaza. The brothers didn't mind the solitude. Truthfully they really were all the company each other needed, but recently that had been changing.

"Hey, Gil? You're going into town today right?" Barl had sat down next to Gil, ignoring his comment from before. "If you could…that is…if you see…you know…could you tell her I said hello?"

Gil looked at his brother's pleading smile. He knew what his younger brother was talking about. During the summer they made frequented visits to town and Gil noticed Barl talking to this one girl on several occasions. She was a lovely girl, not much younger than Barl himself with long brown hair and a lovely smile. Every time they came back he would seek her out. It was love at first sight with him.

"Is she really that special Barl?" he responded to his brothers' request. Gil didn't know the name of the girl and had never really bothered to ask, but never ceased to be amazed at the behavior of his brother when it came to that girl.

"I have a feeling that she's the one, Gil." He leaned back against the hard wood, a dreamy look on his face that said that he believed his own words to be true.

"I wouldn't get ahead of myself if I were you." That was true too of course. People fall in and out of love. Finding 'the one' isn't a simple task and is rarely found on the first try.

"No really. It's something about her that…mystifies. Something beyond a simple crush." Gil didn't have anything left to say. He decided it was best to just leave his younger brother to his musings.

"Whatever you say. I'll do what I can. I should get going if I want to make it back before sundown." Gil got up from the ground and went into the lodge. A few minutes later he came out with a small bag slung over his shoulders. He walked down the path away from his home and towards the silent woods.

AN:

YO! This is Kurai-Hoshi with my first ever posted up fanfic. The idea for it came to me while I was re-reading the series some rainy day and I began typing. It's coming along okay if I do say so myself...not to sound cocky or anything. Please read and review if you can.

And another thing. Just to let you know I am not copying Animegoil's fic, _Comfort in the Snow_ which I recently discovered and swore my head off cuz someone wrote a Gil fic before I did. (swears excessively) This is most likely not gonna be a romance so besides the few charecters I don't think the two stories will be anything alike. (wants to be original) JA NE!!!


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